Capita: Criminal Record Checks

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who authorised the Criminal Records Bureau to draw up a specification for, and procure, a contract with Capita for processing criminal record checks.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: My noble and learned friend Lord Williams of Mostyn announced on 14 December 1998, in response to a Question from my noble friend Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (WA 356), that appropriate use would be made of public private partnerships in the implementation of the Criminal Records Bureau.
	Following a rigorous competitive tender process, Capita was selected as the private sector partner and the contract was awarded on 4 August 2000. The chief executive of the CRB, as the senior accountable officer, issued the specification and signed the contract with Capita. He was authorised by the then Minister of State to do so following the Minister's approval of the user requirement and the CRB business case based on the PPP procurement approach.

Capita: Criminal Record Checks

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who set the parameters with regard to both financial and service levels for the Criminal Records Bureau to agree a specification for, and produce, a contract with Capita for processing criminal record checks; and what were these parameters.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The user requirement, which was approved by the then Minister of State, set the public service standards for the Criminal Records Bureau which provide the turnaround times for each type of disclosure.
	The service standards are to deal with 90 per cent of enhanced disclosure applications within three weeks, 95 per cent of standard disclosures within one week and 95 per cent of basic disclosures within one week. The financial parameters for the service provision by Capita are contained within the Capita contract which was awarded following a competitive tender process and signed under authorisation by the then Minister of State.

Crime (International Co-operation) Bill: Schengen Convention

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which articles of the Schengen acquis will be implemented by the provisions of the Crime (International Co-operation) Bill.

Lord Filkin: The articles of the Schengen Implementing Convention in which the United Kingdom will participate are set out in the Council decision of 29 May 2000 (2000/365/EC). The Crime (International Co-operation) Bill implements those articles which require legislation, with the exception of Article 27, which was implemented by the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, and Articles 40, 42 and 43 were in part implemented by the Police Reform Act 2002. Other provisions of Schengen relating to extradition are included in the Extradition Bill. All other articles and elements of the acquis, including the Schengen information system, in which the United Kingdom will participate, will be implemented through administrative measures. This Bill will implement the relevant parts of the Schengen convention for the United Kingdom; Gibraltar will take forward its own implementation.
	The articles of Schengen to be implemented in the Crime (International Co-operation) Bill are as follows. Article 40(2) allows for police officers from one member state to continue surveillance into another member state in emergency situations for up to five hours. Clause 83 of the Bill inserts a new Section 76A into the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) to allow automatic authorisation of overseas officers to carry out surveillance in the United Kingdom in strictly limited circumstances. Legislation to implement Article 40(1) arrangements for officers acting in pre-planned joint surveillance teams is only required in respect of civil liabilities; this was implemented by Section 103 of the Police Reform Act 2002.
	Article 42 requies member states to ensure that officers operating under the terms of Article 40 are treated in the same way as officers of the member state in which they are operating in respect of offences committed by or against them. Clause 84 of the Bill extends provisions on assaults on police officers (Section 89 of the Police Act 1996 in England and Wales, Section 41 of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967 in Scotland and Section 66 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 in Northern Ireland) to cover overseas officers involved in Article 40(2) surveillance operations, authorised under Section 76A of RIPA.
	Article 43 requires member states requesting cross-border surveillance to be liable for any damage caused by its officers while on surveillance. Clause 85 of the Bill amends the provisions on liability of wrongful acts on constables (Section 42 of the Police Act 1997) to make the director general of the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) liable for overseas officers carrying out surveillance in the United Kingdom under Section 76A of RIPA.
	Articles 49, 52 and 53 cover mutual legal assistance arrangements between member states. Those parts of these articles which will not be repealed by the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters 2000 (MLAC) are implemented by Part 1 of the Bill. Part 1 also implements MLAC.
	Articles 62 to 66 cover extradition arrangements between member states. These have subsequently been superseded by the 1995 and 1996 European Union (EU) Extradition Conventions which were implemented in the United Kingdom by the EU Extradition Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/419). However, Clauses 86 and 87 of the Bill are necessary to ensure that the United Kingdom can apply Schengen extradition arrangements to countries which are either non-EU participants in Schengen (currently Norway and Iceland) or are EU member states which have not yet implemented the 1995 and 1996 conventions in order to fulfil the United Kingdom's Schengen obligations). Other provisions of Schengen relating to extradition, including those on the transfer of the enforcement of criminal judgments, are included in the Extradition Bill.
	Article 114 requires member states to designate a supervisory authority to carry out independent supervision of the national data file of the Schengen Information System (SIS). Clause 82 of the Bill creates a power of independent inspection for the Information Commissioner of the SIS and other specified EU information systems by inserting new Section 54A into the Data Protection Act 1998.
	A transposition note has been prepared by the Home Office which provides more detail on the precise implementation for each article of Schengen covered by the Crime (International Co-operation) Bill. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Hepatitis B: Transfusion Transmitted Infection

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What further measures they plan in order to reduce the level of hepatitis B transfusion-transmitted infection, stated in the SHOT annual report 2000-01 to be eight cases over six years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The rate of detection of hepatitis B virus in donated blood has improved significantly in recent years. There have been no cases of transfusion transmitted hepatitis B since the case reported in the 2000–01 Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) Report. There are currently no plans to introduce further measures, but this is kept under review.

West Nile Fever Virus: Blood Transfusion Risk

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In light of the recent discovery of West Nile virus in the United Kingdom and recent transmission issues relating to the virus in the United States (a) what plans they are making to prevent spread of the virus through blood and plasma transfusions in the United Kingdom; and (b) what validation studies were conducted to ensure that methylene blue inactivation of United States plasma will remove the risk of transmission of pathogenic viruses, including WNV, from United States-sourced blood and plasma products available in the United Kingdom.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There have been no human cases of West Nile fever virus infection in the United Kingdom and the risk of transmitting the virus by blood transfusion is minimal. There are currently no plans to defer donors from donating blood in the UK solely on the grounds that they have recently visited the United States. However this situation is being kept under review. Plasma is currently imported from the United States for the production of plasma products, including fresh frozen plasma for babies and young children born after 1 January 1996, as a precaution against the theoretical risk of vCJD transmission. Viral inactivation of these products is carried out as a safety measure to remove the risk to patients of transfusion transmittable viruses, including West Nile fever virus, should it be present.
	Methylene blue is a commercial product produced by Macopharma. Data received by the National Blood Service show that methylene blue is highly effective in destroying the West Nile fever virus.

Agency Workers Directive

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What would be the estimated cost to the National Health Service of the additional employment rights being granted to temporary workers by the proposed new European directive.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: An initial regulatory impact assessment of the proposed directive on agency workers prepared by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has been placed in the Library. This will be revised to take account of findings from the public consultation on the proposed directive, which ended recently.

European Studies: Higher Education Institutions

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What increase in student numbers for courses devoted to European studies there have been in Britain's higher education institutions over the past (a) five years and (b) 10 years; and whether they will consider widening grants to higher education institutions to promote European studies, similar to the 7.2 million euro given to the European Research Institute at Birmingham University.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Data are not held centrally for courses on European studies. The table shows the number of students on courses covering European languages, literature and culture. Higher education institutions in England receive recurrent public support in the form of a block grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Institutions set their own priorities for how that grant is spent. Birmingham University has supported its European Research Institute through a capital grant from the Joint Infrastructure Fund, now succeeded by the Science Research Infrastructure Fund (SRIF) administered by HEFCE. Universities receive a formulae allocation from SRIF and choose themselves how to spend it.
	
		Numbers for students engaged in courses in European languages, literature and culture (UK)
		
			  1994-95 1996-97 2001-02 
			  Post graduate Under graduate Total Post graduate Under graduate Total Post graduate Under graduate Total 
			 French 445 5,624 6,069 431 6,546 6,977 403 5,218 5,621 
			 German 253 2,582 2,835 274 2,444 2,718 267 2,225 2,492 
			 Italian 65 712 777 87 1,191 1,278 136 1,557 1,693 
			 Spanish 172 1,639 1,811 200 2,299 2,499 218 3,025 3,243 
			 Portuguese 12 83 95 11 153 164 12 132 144 
			 Scandinavian 11 395 406 10 437 447 15 462 477 
			 Russian 104 914 1,018 134 755 889 134 525 659 
			 Slavonic and East- European 31 338 369 50 395 445 48 317 365 
			 Other European 603 4,154 4,757 640 4,100 4,740 491 2,610 3,101 
			  
			 Total 1,696 16,441 18,137 1,837 18,320 20,157 1,724 16,071 17,795 
		
	
	Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency data.

Department for Education and Skills Special Advisers

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many non-civil servant advisers have been employed in the Department for Education and Skills to assist Ministers since May 1997; and how many remain on the payroll.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: It might be helpful if I say that non-civil servants in the deparment fall into three categories: secondees; self-employed people with whom we contract; and consultants with whose firms we contract. Only exceptionally are they reimbursed through the payroll. Special advisers brought in to advise Ministers are civil servants for the term of their employment and are therefore excluded from the reply.
	Three non-civil servants, of whom two remain on the payroll, have been employed in the Department for Education and Skills and the former Department for Education and Employment since May 1997. All other people on the department's payroll are civil servants for the term of their employment.

Overseas Residents' Visits

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many overseas residents' visits were made to the United Kingdom in (a) the first and (b) the second quarters of 2000.

Baroness Blackstone: The number of overseas residents' visits to the United Kingdom (a) was 4.6 million in the first quarter of 2002 and (b) 6.3 million in the second quarter of 2002.

North/South Ministerial Council

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ensure that any arrangements made in the North/South Ministerial Council during direct rule will be accountable, open and transparent and handled on the British side by politicians and not civil servants.

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: By an agreement due to come into force in early December, contained in an exchange of letters on 19 November, the British Government and the Irish Government have agreed that decisions of the North/South Ministerial Council during suspension will be made by the two governments. That agreement also provides that any reference in the Implementation Bodies Agreement to the assembly shall be read as a reference to the United Kingdom Parliament. Accordingly, any reports and statements which are required by that agreement to be laid before the assembly shall, during suspension, be laid before Parliament.
	A copy of the exchange of the letters has been placed in the Library.

Life Peerages

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 10 June (WA 1-2):
	(a) how many life peers there are in each of the three parties and on the Cross-Benches; and
	(b) if no further life peers are created, what statistically would the number in each party be likely to be in each of the next 30 years.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: The number of life peers in each of the parties on 7 October was:
	Conservative 168
	Labour 187
	Liberal Democrat 60
	Cross-Bench 144 1
	1 includes nine "other" peers not affiliated to any major grouping.
	Source: House of Lords Information Office website.
	The likely strength of these four groupings over the next 30 years is set out in the attached table. In fact, however, there are presently in the House of Lords in addition to life peers, 92 hereditary peers, of whom 90 break down as follows:
	Conservative 49
	Labour 4
	Liberal Democrat 5
	Cross-Bench 32
	
		Survival of life peers by party
		
			  07.10.02 01.07.03 01.07.04 01.07.05 01.07.06 01.07.07 01.07.08 01.07.09 01.07.10 01.07.11 
			 Conservative 168 165 158 152 146 140 133 127 121 115 
			 Labour 187 182 177 172 166 161 156 151 146 140 
			 Lib Dem 60 59 58 56 54 53 52 50 49 48 
			 Other 154 149 142 135 129 122 110 110 104 99 
			  
			 Total 569 555 535 515 495 476 457 438 420 402 
		
	
	
		
			  01.07.13 01.07.14 01.07.15 01.07.16 01.07.17 01.07.18 01.07.19 01.07.20 01.07.21 01.07.22 
			 Conservative 104 98 92 87 82 77 72 67 62 58 
			 Labour 130 125 120 115 110 105 99 95 90 85 
			 Lib Dem 44 43 42 40 39 37 36 34 33 31 
			 Other 88 83 78 73 68 64 60 55 51 47 
			  
			 Total 366 349 332 315 299 283 267 251 236 221 
		
	
	
		
			  01.07.23 01.07.24 01.07.25 01.07.26 01.07.27 01.07.28 01.07.29 01.07.30 01.07.31 01.07.32 
			 Conservative 53 49 45 42 38 34 31 28 25 22 
			 Labour 80 75 70 65 61 56 52 48 44 40 
			 Lib Dem 30 29 27 25 24 23 21 20 18 17 
			 Other 44 40 37 34 30 28 25 22 20 18 
			  
			 Total 207 193 179 166 153 141 129 118 107 97

Life Peerages

Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 24 July (WA 73), whether they will make it clear to all persons recommended for the grant of a life peerage that the peerage so granted may be time-limited if Recommendation 103 in the report of the Royal Commission on Reform of the House of Lords is implemented.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: The Government have asked a Joint Committee of both Houses to look at the options for House of Lords reform. The Government are not seeking to influence the debate on the Joint Committee's deliberations, which will be the subject of a free vote in both Houses. It would not be appropriate in those circumstances for the Government to comment on an issue of detail based on a hypothetical situation.

Speaker's Committee: Electoral Commmission Investigation into Compulsory Voting

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What recommendations have been made by the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission investigation into compulsory voting

Lord Irvine of Lairg: The noble Lord may wish to write to the Chairman of the Electoral Commission on this matter. My department has no responsibility for the Speaker's Committee or for the activities of the Electoral Commission. Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, the Speaker's Committee is required to report to the House of Commons on the exercise by it of the functions conferred on it by that Act. The committee's first report was laid before the House of Commons on 28 November.

Postal Votes

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 28 October (WA 2), whether, in addition to lists of successful applicants for absent votes, the application forms or other written applications for postal votes are also available for inspection.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There is no legal provision for electoral registration officers to make available for public inspection any applications made by electors for an absent or a proxy vote.

Age-related Tax Allowances

Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will provide an estimate of what number and percentage of people aged over state pension age would pay (a) no tax, (b) tax at starting rate, (c) tax at basic rate and (d) tax at the higher rate if there were no age-related tax allowances for people aged 65 and over.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Estimates for the number and percentage of people aged over state pension age paying at each of the various income tax rates if there were no age-related tax allowances are in the table.
	
		
			 2002–03 Number of people over state pension age(1) (thousands) % of all people over state pension age 
			 Non-taxpayers 5,310 49% 
			 Starting rate 
			 taxpayers(2) 860 8% 
			 Savers rate 
			 taxpayers(3) 400 4% 
			 Basic rate 
			 taxpayers(4) 4,120 38% 
			 Higher rate 
			 taxpayers(5) 200 2% 
			 All pensioners(6) 10,980  
		
	
	Notes: Taxpayer estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and are consistent with the November 2002 pre-Budget forecast.
	(1) Men aged 65 and over and women aged 60 and over.
	(2) Taxpayers with a marginal rate at the 10 per cent starting rate from an extra £1 of earnings.
	(3) Taxpayers with a marginal rate at the 20 per cent lower rate for savings income or the 10 per cent ordinary dividend rate from an extra £1 of earnings.
	(4) Taxpayers with a marginal rate at the basic rate from an extra £1 of earnings.
	(5) Taxpayers with taxable income above the higher rate threshold.
	(6) Pensioner population estimates provided by the Government Actuary's Department.

Age-related Tax Allowances

Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much was spent on age-related allowances for people aged 65 and over in 2001–02.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: r the noble Baroness to table 7 of the publication The Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Census: Under-Enumeration of Males aged 20–44

Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are concerned about the apparent under-enumeration in the 2001 census among males aged 20–44.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated 5 December 2002.
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking whether Her Majesty's Government are concerned about the apparent under-enumeration in the 2001 Census among males aged 20–44.[HL310]
	For the 2001 Census a new and more robust method was used, known as the One Number Census. In addition to the Census itself, a huge independent coverage survey was undertaken, covering around 0.32 million households and every local authority (the Census Coverage Survey). This survey was then combined with the Census, using standard statistical techniques, to estimate the Census non-response and to adjust for under-enumeration. There was also an extensive Quality Assurance process for every local authority, comparing the Census results with a range of other administrative data; and a national Quality Assurance process resulting in additional adjustments.
	This approach was adopted because we knew that Census non-response had been increasing internationally and that response to the 2001 Census was likely to be lower than previously. It is the use of this robust method, adjusting under-enumeration, which gives me confidence that the Census figures provide the most accurate possible estimate of the population.
	For men aged 20–44, the response rate to the Census in England and Wales was 90 per cent. That is based on the final estimates derived from both the Census and the Census Coverage Survey, thus indicating that the One Number Census method added 865,000 males aged 20-44 to the estimate that would have been obtained by the Census alone. The response rate varied within that age-range as follows: 87 per cent for men 20–24, 88 per cent for men aged 25–29, 90 per cent for men aged 30–34, 92 per cent for men aged 35–39, 94 per cent for men aged 40–44. These and further details about response were published with the Census results on 30 September and are available on the National Statistics website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/annexb.asp.
	The 2001 Census results showed that the United Kingdom has 800,000 fewer men aged 20–44 than previously thought. The critical factor within the difference appears to be emigration. The data used to estimate the numbers of people leaving the country is derived, from the International Passenger Survey (IPS). This works well, but it captures travellers' intentions at the time of departure. These may be prone to change once people are abroad, particularly among young men with few ties at home. These issues are currently under consideration as part of the National Statistics Quality Review on International Migration, and one of the outcomes expected of this review is a set of options to improve intercensal population estimates, which will particularly involve males 20 to 44.

DVLA: Dishonoured Cheques

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the total annual value and number of dishonoured cheques received by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for the last convenient period.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The information requested for the financial year 2001–02 was as follows:
	
		
			  Number Value 
			 Fees and VED payments (GB and NI) 131,640 £12.445m 
		
	
	Of these, less than 10 per cent were written off as abandoned claims.

Traffic Congestion: Heathrow Airport

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether traffic planners in the South East are required to take special account of congestion caused by journeys to and from Heathrow; and, if so, what radius from Heathrow is covered by the requirement.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: There is no government guidance to the transport planning profession requiring that special account be taken of congestion caused by journeys to and from Heathrow.
	Heathrow Airport clearly has a major impact on traffic levels, though it is not the only contributor to congestion in the area. The South East and East of England Regional Air Service study and the Orbit (M25) and Thames Valley multi-modal studies have all carried out computer modelling of transport networks, including those in the vicinity of Heathrow.

Rural Proofing: CMPS Courses

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Centre for Management and Policy Services has built rural proofing into policy-making courses for civil servants; if not, what progress has been made; and when it will be complete.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Centre for Management and Policy Studies (CMPS)has indeed built rural proofing into its policy-making courses for civil servants. The interests of people in rural areas feature in every session on identifying stakeholders and such sessions are integral to general policy-making courses. More specific examples include: after discussion with the Countryside Agency, a case study in rural transport issues has been built into the key policy-making course for fast-stream trainees, The Management of Policy Work, and will also feature in a new course for 2003–04, Developing Deliverable Policy; and a three-day partnership programme in May 2003 for senior civil servants and their equivalents in the public and not-for-profit sectors will be built around a case study of rural regeneration and land use in North Dorset.
	CMPS is also looking at further initiatives, such as the participation of officials from Defra or the Countryside Agency in policy-making courses and senior programmes.
	CMPS will continue to seek further opportunities to incorporate rural proofing into its courses and programmes.

"Best Practice" Training for Ministers

Lord Norton of Louth: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What training is provided to senior Ministers to assist them in the running of their departments; and
	What provision exists for the dissemination to senior Ministers of "best practice" advice in the running of government departments

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Cabinet Office provides central training for Ministers. This supports them: operating as a member of the government team; managing the strategic policy and communication aspects of the job as a member of a departmental team; and working with and through Parliament.
	The Programmes for Ministers series provides: access to expert contributors from government and the wider public and private sector; discussion with colleagues and sharing best practice; and awareness of current developments in government.
	Specific needs of individual Ministers are met on a personal basis.

Fire Dispute: Performance of Armed Forces

Lord Peston: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the assessment on the performance of the Armed Forces over the eight-day period of industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union.

Lord Rooker: My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister has today placed copies of a report produced by the COBR=Joint Assessment Cell, entitled Industrial Action by the Fire Brigades Union. Contingency arrangements during the 8-day strike, 22-30 November 2002, in the Printed Paper Office and the Libraries of the House.

QinetiQ

Lord Kirkhill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made on the sale of QinetiQ plc.

Lord Bach: On 1 July 2001 the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency was successfully divided into QinetiQ plc, a wholly government-owned company, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, which remains part of the Ministry of Defence.
	On 6 March 2002 (Official Report, col. 313–14W) we informed the House in another place that we had decided to sell a substantial stake in QinetiQ to a strategic partner who would help to develop the company in preparation for a future flotation on the stock market. Our decision followed a detailed analysis of market conditions which led us to conclude that this approach offered best value for the taxpayer and would meet our objectives for a successful public private partnership.
	Following the announcement in early September that the Carlyle Group had been chosen as preferred bidder in MoD's selection of a strategic partner, the MoD has now signed a deal with Carlyle. The transaction values QinetiQ at around £500 million. Following adjustments to reflect current assets and liabilities, MoD will receive between £140 million and £150 million from the transaction (the final amount will depend on the company's exact financial position at completion). This will be in addition to £50 million already received from QinetiQ as part of the purchase price for its assets.
	The Carlyle Group will acquire a 33.8 per cent economic interest in QinetiQ, with a further 3.7 per cent of the shares to be available for employees of QinetiQ. Management control and responsibility for setting future commercial strategy will now lie with QinetiQ and Carlyle, allowing them the freedom to make appropriate decisions to grow the business. MoD will retain those rights that are conventional for a major shareholder. QinetiQ's board of directors will be augmented by the appointment of two Carlyle nominees. MoD will also have the right to appoint two non-executive directors. QinetiQ employees will have the opportunity to invest in the future of the business through a staff equity scheme and will each receive a small free allocation of share options.
	This is a good deal for the taxpayer, for QinetiQ and for the company's employees. At completion, the taxpayer will have received a total so far of around £200 million from the PPP, and MoD's retention of a significant stake in the business will ensure that the taxpayer shares in the anticipated future growth in the value of the company. The company will benefit from the injection of new private sector capital, together with the Carlyle Group's track record in assisting companies to grow and develop. As previously announced, our intention remains to sell our entire stake in QinetiQ within three to five years, probably through a flotation on the stock market.
	QinetiQ will remain a British company based in the UK. MoD will retain a special share in the company to ensure that the nation's defence and security interests continue to be protected. There will also be robust safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest and to ensure that the integrity of the Government's procurement process is not compromised.
	Subject to the satisfactory fulfilment of a number of final conditions, we expect to achieve the formal completion of the sale process early in the new year.

Typhoon

Lord Kirkhill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What date Eurofighter Typhoon is expected to enter service with the Royal Air Force.

Lord Bach: Progress towards the entry to service of Typhoon has been reviewed closely since the start, in April 2002, of test flying with the instrumented production aircraft. The process of gathering flight safety and performance data, which is necessary to accept aircraft into service, is taking industry longer than the agreed schedule. The large volume of work to resolve outstanding and arising design issues, although individually minor, has also progressed more slowly than expected. As a result, we have concluded with our international partners and with industry that the evidence required to permit contractual acceptance of the aircraft by the four partner nations will not be complete before the end of March 2003. Allowing for the joint, four-nation acceptance process, aircraft should then be ready for hand-over to the Royal Air Force by the end of June 2003.
	In any event following the loss of a development aircraft in Spain on 21 November, it is essential that there is a time allowance for the realignment of test flying tasks. Further delay cannot be ruled out until the causes and implications of the crash are fully understood. This second delay, since the contract was placed with industry, to Typhoon's entry to service is extremely disappointing, but safety remains paramount, and we will only accept aircraft that meet the agreed specification. Every effort will be made to accelerate the entry to service and work-up process to prevent or minimise any delay to the operational employment of Typhoon, scheduled for the second half of the decade. It is this latter date, of course, when the RAF is able to use the aircraft on operations, that is so critical.